Month: August 2014

Although leaders in Fort Madison have not reversed an earlier decision to split a historic parcel of land and allow retail development on one section, they have entered into an agreement aimed at historic preservation and management of the remainder of the property. While many, myself included, remain disappointed and disheartened by the prospect of a Dollar General store on a part of this significant and irreplaceable War of 1812 battlefield, the most recent action by the Fort Madison City Council nonetheless deserves praise as movement in a good direction. The city will expend a portion of the $51,000 grant money received from the National Parks Service American Battlefield Protection Program to partner with The Walker Collaborative, based in Nashville, Tenn. The organization was the only company of the nine approached by the…

On this day in 1920, not yet 100 years ago, Congress granted women the right to vote. This day — now celebrated as “Women’s Equality Day” — marks the end of an 80-year campaign for women’s suffrage. While most women, myself included, don’t personally remember the battles fought in earning the right to vote, writings and pictures remain to remind us how difficult change can be, especially for those in positions of power who believe they are being diminished. Those who fought for women to be able to vote were derided as inferior, lazy, oversexed, masculine, childlike and generally unworthy of consideration. Emotions drove the suffragists forward and manipulated them to not only seek a ballot, but to leave husbands and children behind. If women were successful in this endeavor,…

Much consternation has taken place over the past few years in Johnson County due to the Iowa City Schools’ facilities plan and diversity policy. Here’s a suggestion: let’s start enacting needed changes in the way board members are elected. There are 19 elementary schools in the district with one, Hoover Elementary, slated for closure following the 2018-19 school year. But the board’s seven members live within the boundaries of only five elementary schools — Lucas (2 members), Shimek (2 members), Van Allen, Weber and Wickham. Before Sally Hoelscher’s recent resignation from the Board, Lucas Elementary was only one vote shy of a majority. This leaves 14 enrollment areas without direct representation, including the three — Garner, Penn and Hills elementaries — in the outlying areas of North Liberty and Hills.…

The picture tucked into my photo album wasn’t what I expected. In that photo, I’m a little girl, holding a beach ball and snuggled into my father’s bare chest as his feet are covered by sand and the tide in Galveston, Texas. Several of my siblings, all in various poses, are gathered around us. Gary is sitting pretzel style in wet sand. Terrie has one hip out and hands up to shield her eyes from the sun. With one hand on my back and another supporting my beach ball, Cathy smiles directly into the camera. We are sandy, hot and happy in the snapshot. It is one of many family memories, and one I knew would not be recreated this past week when two of my sisters and I traveled…

Fort Madison battlefield only Iowa location where U.S. troops died defending country City leaders in Fort Madison have agreed to split a plot of land they know to be historic. While dividing the parcel does not immediately endanger further investigation or preservation of the site, it does clear the way for a section of the property to be developed by Minnesota-based RSBR Investments L.L.C. as a Dollar General Store. If this retail development is allowed to move forward, Iowa and the nation will likely lose a significant segment of history forever. The land in question is currently a dilapidated parking lot, owned by Holy Trinity Catholic Schools, that previously served Sheaffer Pen Co. It is situated just blocks from the Mississippi River and bordered by U.S. Hwy 61 (Avenue H…

In the summer of 1988, I was 20-years-old. had two years of college under my belt, and sneaked out of my parents’ house for the first time. The overstuffed car had 4-60 air conditioning — four windows down, traveling at 60 miles per hour. From the radio and years before a Rick-rolled meme, Astley pledged he was “never gonna give us up.” Laughter shot around like a pinball, lighting up faces in the darkness, and no one wanted to let it to fall through the flippers. Earlier that day, thinking how I was now a college woman and all, I informed my mother I’d be heading off to watch a movie. Unfortunately, I also arrogantly named the film: Good Morning, Vietnam. Only two subjects of discussion were prohibited in my…

Michael Brown was an 18-year-old black man who died Saturday, gunned down by police outside his apartment complex. He was scheduled to begin classes at Vatterott College today and, according to friends who agreed to interviews, Brown wanted to be a business owner. News of the shooting spread quickly through the Ferguson, Mo. neighborhood. Brown’s body had been left in the street for hours, according to media reports, and photos of the scene were circulated. While there are conjectural stories of a struggle, that perhaps Brown, who was unarmed, tried to take a gun from the officer who ultimately shot him multiple times as he ran. a full investigation is not complete and likely won’t be completed for weeks. Mourning began on social media, rumors were circulated and those local…

Education funding shortfalls could get worse “It won’t hurt to look.” That was the advice of the school registration worker as she smiled and extended a paper with state income eligibility guidelines toward me. She had asked if our family qualified for free or reduced-priced lunches and I had mumbled something to the effect of, “I doubt it.” So, I took the paper and looked, my finger sliding down to our family size, then across to the yearly totals. It wasn’t even close. As I shrugged and handed the paper back to the worker, her smile widened and turned conspiratorial. “You didn’t know you were rich, did you?” HITTING HOME Every so often, when a writer is truly fortunate, personal and professional collide, allowing for the dissemination of information that…

President Lyndon B. Johnson announced a “War on Poverty” as part of his 1964 State of the Union address, promising and mandating the nation not simply treat the symptoms of the poor, but fetter out and eliminate root causes. “Today, for the first time in our history, we have the power to strike away the barriers to full participation in our society,” he said. “Having the power, we have the duty.” This appears to be a duty Gov. Terry Branstad is willing to shirk. By executive order, former Gov. Tom Vilsack said people convicted of crimes, who had served their sentences, should be able to fully participate as citizens by casting ballots and standing as candidates for public office. [caption id="attachment_640" align="alignleft" width="300"] "I Voted" buttons in a bowl. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)[/caption]…

Transparency makes attack ads palatable In September 1895, Woodrow Wilson was more than two decades away from his move into the White House and spent a great deal of time studying government via the lens of history. It was at this time, well before history and political science were distinct disciplines, the scholarly Wilson wrote a magazine essay establishing his thoughts on how historians should present their work, summarizing why it is often difficult to see into the past as well as into the future. “The truth of history is a very complex and very occult matter. It consists of things which are invisible as well of things which are visible. It is full of secret motives, and of a chance interplay of trivial and yet determining circumstances; it is…